New Atlas

Biology Audio available

Rare species of Dracula ant snaps up record for world's fastest animal movement

Michael Irving December 12, 2018

Mystrium camillae, a rare species of Dracula ant found in Southeast Asia and Australia, has now snapped up the crown for fastest animal movement on record, clicking its mandibles at blistering speeds that can stun prey.

A rare species of Dracula ant, known as Mystrium camillae, has snapped up the record for ...

Digital Cameras

World's fastest camera shoots 10 trillion frames a second

Michael Irving October 11, 2018

The world’s fastest camera, developed by researchers at Caltech and INRS, captures the world at a mind-boggling 10 trillion frames per second – fast enough to probe the nanoscale interactions between light and matter.

The world's fastest camera can shoot at 10 trillion frames per second

Digital Cameras

"World's toughest and fastest SD cards" from Sony are built to take a beating

Darren Quick August 28, 2018

Sony has unveiled what it claims are the world's toughest and fastest SD cards. Boasting a monolithic one-piece mold construction, the new "SF-G series TOUGH specification" UHS-II SD cards are completely sealed and built to withstand bending, drops, water and dust.

Sony's SF-G TOUGH series can be submerged in over 1 m (3 ft) of water

Automotive Audio available

50 years in the making, a restored streamliner claims the land speed record

Nick Lavars August 14, 2018

For over a century the Bonneville Salt Flats has drawn motoring enthusiasts to its vast open plains for its annual Speed Week, and for more than half a century one father-son duo has eyed a history-making run at the event. That dream has now been realized with a new land speed record being set.

The Challenger 2 is a refurbished streamliner originally constructed in 1968

Physics

Fastest-spinning manmade object clocks 60 billion rpm

Michael Irving July 22, 2018

The fastest-spinning manmade object has been created in a lab at Purdue University. This microscopic rotor is made up of two silica nanoparticles stuck together to form a "dumbbell," and by hitting it with laser light the team has sent it spinning at a blistering 60 billion rpm.

Using a high-powered laser, researchers at Purdue University have set a microscopic "dumbbell" spinning at 60 ...

Marine

New maritime electric speed world record set by Jaguar Vector Racing

David Szondy June 17, 2018

The Jaguar Vector Racing V20E has broken the British and world electric speed records for a battery-powered boat, making an average speed of 88.61 mph (142.6 km/h) over two legs of the 1-km (0.62-mi) course on Coniston Water in northern England.

The V20E has broken the electric water speed record set in 2008

Automotive

Corbellati puts jewelry expertise to work ... building the world's fastest car

C.C. Weiss January 26, 2018

The name "Corbellati" definitely doesn't seduce the eardrum like a "Ferrari." Before teasing the could-be world's fastest car, it was better known as a family of jewelry makers and artists. The family's latest creation is much more a living creature, though – a supercar with grumbling 9.0-liter V8.

Those full, rollercoaster fenders remind us of 1960s race/road cars

Automotive

In photos: Cars and car-like creations of SEMA 2017

C.C. Weiss November 7, 2017

Last week, we spent a few days walking the halls of the 2017 SEMA Show and staring in awe at some of the craziest cars, trucks, motorcycles and ... others ... on the planet. Here are our favorite cars of the show.

Automotive

Hennessey's 1,600-bhp Venom F5 hypercar takes aim at 300 mph barrier

Nick Lavars November 1, 2017

It was a long time coming, but Hennessey's new Venom F5 is finally here. The Texas tuning house whipped the covers off its highly anticipated hypercar at SEMA in Las Vegas this week, revealing a mean-looking, carbon fiber body befitting the fastest production car in the word.

Hennessey says the Venom F5 will go from 0 to 300 km/h (186 mph) in less ...

Motorcycles

Gulas Pi1S: World's fastest e-bike lets you pedal down the freeway at 115 km/h

Loz Blain October 17, 2017

If riding a regular electric bicycle can make you feel like you’ve got Lance Armstrong’s legs, this one’s gonna make you feel damn near like Superman. The Gulas Pi1S is a 38-horsepower e-bike that will let you pedal your way past freeway traffic at up to 71 mph.

Weighing in at 128 kg, the Pi1S packs an enormous 38 horsepower and 100 Nm of ...